Vindication
by Crimson Breeze
Summary: "If you wanna kill Tyler, go right ahead." She sounds completely serious and Damon is sure he's feeling the same shock that is written all over Klaus' face at Caroline's vehement reaction. Forwood slightly AU after 3x18
1. Vindication

**Important:** While the main focus of this fic is Tyler and Caroline. There is one-sided Daroline (no romance mostly just Damon being protective) and it also had implied Delena, Stelena and one-sided Klaroline although if you're a Klaroline shipper you probably won't like this fic very much so you might not wanna read it.

* * *

_Move on, don't look back  
I jumped off the train running off the tracks  
Love is gone, face the facts  
A bad movie ends and the screen fades to black_

_What you did to me, boy I can't forget_  
_If you think I'm coming back_  
_You can't touch me now_  
_You can't touch me now, there's no feeling left_  
_If you think I'm coming back, don't hold your breath_  
_What you did to me, boy, I can't forget_  
_If you think I'm coming back, don't hold your breath  
-Nicole Scherzinger _

He watches the door carefully and leans back in his chair when he sees her enter the grill. He has chosen a seat in the back of the spacious restaurant for the sole purpose of not being seen until he wishes to make his presence known. He ducks his head as she takes a quick look around the grill and then begins to walk forward when she doesn't find who she's looking for. He knows that she usually likes to sit in the middle or the front and that is exactly what she does. Damon finds himself grinning at his good luck when she sits down at a table for two in the center of the grill where he can see her perfectly. She hasn't noticed him. That's good. He likes having the element of surprise even though he doesn't know why he has such a strong desire to catch her in the act.

He hadn't noticed it at first. It was only the other night when he was drinking with Alaric, who had been overcome by a wave of nostalgia that something in his mind had clicked. He doesn't want to believe it. And they can't really be that cheesy, he thinks. It's stupid that she is still sitting here waiting for him even though he no longer has to turn on the night of a full moon. He knows that the Lockwood brat isn't going to turn if he doesn't have to. The kid hates his werewolf curse with a passion. This much, he had made very clear. So what are they doing here then? Just doing lunch? And then what? They'll go see a movie like typical teenagers do? Damon actually wants to believe that. He hopes that it is the case. But he doesn't think so.

It could just be coincidence. It might just be pure coincidence that Alaric has seen Caroline and Tyler meet up at the grill and then leave together, sometimes without ever ordering anything. Just like it might be coincidence that over the summer Caroline often told Elena that she was going to have lunch at the grill with Tyler and that she was going to be busy until the next day. Busy doing what? How long does it take to eat lunch? How long is a movie? Two hours? Three? It could just be coincidence that the first time Alaric had seen Caroline and Tyler together at the grill was on the night of Tyler's first full moon. The day that Caroline had come to Damon to ask him to let her keep an eye on Tyler while he turned for the first time. Back when Damon hadn't known that Caroline had let wolf boy know that she was a vampire.

Damon desperately wants to believe that Caroline is smarter than that. That she hasn't spent all of those full moons hanging around the cellar. She shouldn't have been anywhere near Tyler with the full moon looming.

But then he remembers how the two of them had been with each other the night Klaus had broken his curse. How she wouldn't back away from him even when he was telling her to run. He recalls the way she had said "We've got time." And Tyler had just looked up into her eyes from the ground and said "It's happening faster." As if she would know. As if she had actually seen him turn before. But that's absurd. It's more than absurd. It's suicide. And Caroline's not the sharpest crayon in the box but she's not stupid either. And he knows that she doesn't have a death wish even if her choices and her actions sometimes seem to suggest otherwise. She wouldn't actually put herself in the same room as a werewolf on the night of a full moon, would she? Even if he was in chains, she wouldn't risk her life like that, right?

He ignores the voice in the back of his head that tells him that she would for Tyler.

No matter how hard he tries, he can't understand their relationship. _WHY _does she care so much about the moron? What had he ever done for her to deserve so much of her attention and concern? He's just another jock. A really stuck up one at that. Why does she care so much about him? Why did she forgive him so easily when he stood and watched as Jules got ready to shoot her?

Why did Caroline forgive Tyler when she still won't forgive him? Damon had almost died saving Caroline. He had pushed her out of the way when Tyler had lunged for her that night. She hasn't spoken a word about it to him save for the timid way she had said his name that night. He takes another sip of his whiskey as he recalls the look of worry in her eyes as she had locked her gaze with his and said "Damon?" silently asking him if he was ok. That was it. She had never mentioned the incident again. She had never thanked him for saving her from the tomb or pushing her out of the way when Tyler had lunged at her when he began to lose control. He wants to believe that this is because he had snapped "I'm fine!" at her and not because she doesn't give a damn. In his head, he wants to think that she doesn't hate him.

Deep down, he knows that she does. Caroline doesn't like him at all. She _tolerates_ him. She does it for Elena. That's the only reason. But other than that, she hates him. He's pretty sure that she wouldn't miss him at all if her were gone.

He has to laugh at the irony because back when she had first turned, he used to tolerate her too. For the exact same reason. For Elena. He's watched her grow since then. He'll never admit it to anyone but he she amazes him. It's astounding to him how well she's handled herself since she's turned especially after all of the crap that she's been through…after she had remembered all of the things that he himself had put her through. He doesn't deserve her forgiveness. The only thing he deserves from her is her hatred. He tries to push down the wave of guilt that washes over him by taking another sip of whiskey, keeping his eyes locked on her as a waitress comes over to her table.

"Hey Caroline, you wanna order early or should I just come back later?"

And that's another dead give away. That this waitress even seems to know that Caroline is waiting for someone. Why else would she be asking her if she wants to "order early"? Why hadn't he noticed it before? Why hadn't he put a stop to it then? When she was going around saying that she was only his friend as she mourned the loss of her relationship with the quarterback turned bus boy as the werewolf made goo goo eyes at her when she wasn't looking. Why hadn't he put an end to their budding romance before she fell for him. Why?

Why does he even care? So what if she gets herself killed? It would be good for him. One less person for him to worry about. Why does the thought of Caroline dying bother him so much?

He watches as she looks up from the notebook she had pulled out of her purse (probably plans for another school dance or fundraiser) to smile up at the waitress. It's such a sweet smile, made twice as charming because it is completely genuine. Damon remembers the way a drunk Caroline had grinned at him across a few tables a little over a year ago when she had first laid eyes on him. He had plastered one of his sweetest smiles onto his face wanting her to come and talk to him. She had gotten up and left in giddy giggles in her drunken state at the time but he knew that he had her focused on him from that moment.

She never smiles at him anymore. And she certainly doesn't giggle at him. She usually only throws irritated looks his way or confused ones when she wants him to explain something.

"Um, no not yet." Caroline tells the blonde waitress. "Although I would love a glass of fruit punch right now."

The waitress smiles at her. "Coming right up." She chirps before walking away.

He had tried to kill her himself so many times. He had been certain that she would not last a week as a vampire. He was certain that he and Stefan would have to kill her. He's amazed because she's a better vampire than he is. She hasn't once lost control of herself since the night that she turned. He knows how guilt ridden she is about killing that random nobody. She calls herself a murderer because of it. She thinks that she's a monster. Vampire or no, Caroline Forbes is no monster.

It was the same carnival worker that he had compelled to pick a fight with Tyler. She doesn't know that. Damon guesses that Tyler had hurt the guy enough in the scuffle to make him bleed. Poor, scared, confused little Caroline, newly turned in a crowd full of people. When she had gotten a whiff of fresh blood…

She doesn't know all the details. He doesn't plan on telling her. She already has enough reasons to hate him. He doesn't expect her forgiveness but that doesn't mean he doesn't want it. He wants her to forgive him. Although he's never even apologized. Tyler apologized. Maybe that's why she forgave him. If Damon apologized, would she forgive him, too? Doubtful. Damon wants to say that what Tyler did to Caroline was so much worse and maybe in some ways it was because he had actually betrayed her as a friend but there is one big difference. Tyler had been scared and confused. He had never actually meant to hurt her. Damon on the other hand, had taken immense pleasure in causing Caroline pain. Both physical and emotional. He had used her and abused her, had taken all of the anger and frustration and hatred he'd felt for the town and the founding families and Stefan out on that one frail human girl. Caroline knows this.

He feels a familiar feeling of anger as he recalls giving her his blood. She had looked so deathly pale lying in that hospital bed, her life hanging by a thread. Another hour or two and she would have died. She wasn't going to make it, that much had been evident. He had given her a lot of blood. Bonnie had been right. He had been so proud of himself for saving her. Because it was her. He had taken special pleasure in hurting her simply because she was a Forbes. Ironic that he had then taken just as much pleasure in saving her for that same reason. He had endangered her but then he had also saved her. Those tomb vampires were out there looking for her. She was supposed to die that night. He had prevented that. It had been his way of trying to make up for all the years he spent hating and cursing this town and its people. His way of trying to make amends for nearly getting all the innocents in Mystic Falls killed. Saving her life was only a drop in the bucket compared to all the horrible things he had done in the name of love for a woman who could not care less about him. But still, it had been something.

She died anyway. Katherine killed her. He hadn't only wanted to kill Caroline because she was a liability. He had wanted to kill her because she didn't deserve the curse of living life as a vampire. Not if it was his blood that had turned her. He didn't want to hurt her anymore. He had compelled away all of the bad memories at the hospital the night before, he had healed her and walked out of the room, intending to never go near her again, wanting her life to be vampire free. And then suddenly she was a vampire. And the small bit of redemption that Damon had earned by saving her was snatched away. Because if Katherine had killed her then Damon hadn't saved Caroline at all. He had condemned her.

Katherine's a bitch he thinks as he takes another sip of his whiskey and pushes down the anger he feels at his ruined attempt at heroism.

Katherine's a bitch and Caroline remembers. She remembers everything. All the things Damon had wanted her to forget. All the things he isn't proud of. He understands why she hates him, why she'll forgive Tyler the werewolf who has tried to kill her multiple times but she won't forgive Damon the vampire who has risked his own life to save her so many times. It's not just that she hates him. She's still scared of him. She tries to hide it but once in a while, her fear comes through. He wishes she would believe that no matter what he says, he won't actually hurt her. That he's actually come to like her. This girl that was so annoying when he had first met her, she has managed to make it on to Damon's list of people who he can't let be killed. He doesn't protect Caroline because Elena wants him to. He does it because he wants to.

That's why he's here now. Because he needs to protect her since she obviously doesn't want to protect herself. She wouldn't be dating Tyler Lockwood if she was trying to keep herself safe. Not when he was a werewolf and certainly not when he was a hybrid. Besides, if Caroline died, Elena would cry. Caroline should be more considerate and not give her friend even more to worry about by hanging around Lockwood.

Damon knows that Tyler has no desire whatsoever to hurt Caroline. But he's also seen enough werewolves in the past year to know that they really can't control themselves. Tyler will sink his venomous jaws into Caroline without wanting to should his werewolf side take over or if Klaus manages to somehow bring Tyler back under the influence of the sire bond. Their relationship just isn't safe. He's sick of waiting for Caroline to come to her senses and leave him for good. He's going to put a stop to this.

The waitress comes back to Caroline and places a bright red drink in front of her and Caroline offers her another smile and a nod as she walks away.

Caroline has just taken a sip of the punch and turned her attention back to her notebook when someone comes and sits down in front of her.

Took him long enough Damon thinks as he wonders if Caroline is going to tell Lockwood off for making her wait.

But it's not Tyler that sitting across from Caroline.

Ugh Damon thinks as Caroline looks up to smile at Klaus. Is he stalking her or something? (Damon himself isn't stalking. This is an intervention. He is intervening.)

Caroline's smile immediately changes to an expression of irratation when she sees that her companion is Klaus and not Tyler.

"Ugh. What are you stalking me now?" She says in an annoyed tone as she puts down her glass.

Klaus is unfazed by her less than cheerful greeting.

"Oh, come now, love. I stopped by to get a drink and spotted you across the room sitting all by yourself. And I think it's rather a shame for such a lovely little thing to be in a crowded room all alone in the middle of the day, don't you?"

Caroline only glares.

"For your information, I'm waiting for someone but even if I wasn't, I still wouldn't seek company with _you_."

Klaus actually pouts at her and reaches for her hand across the table.

"Really, sweetheart, give me a chance. I honestly didn't follow you here. One might even say our running into each other here is destiny."

Caroline snatches her hand away just as Klaus' fingers brush against it.

"I'm not your sweetheart and I don't believe in destiny. But whether destiny exists or not, I'm positive that mine is not with you, Klaus."

Klaus smiles, his arm still stretched across the table, even though Caroline has placed her arms at her sides and is leaning back in her chair.

"What do you believe in?" he asks her intently as he locks his gaze with hers.

"_Go away."_ Caroline responds. Damon's never seen her scowl before.

Klaus sighs as he pulls his hand back.

"Well, whoever it is that you're waiting for doesn't seem to have much regard for you. Quite rude, if I do say so myself."

"I'm early." She replies. "What do you want?"

"To buy you a drink, of course." He says as he smiles at her again.

Caroline smiles at him now, although this one is not her sweet, genuine smile. She holds up her full glass of fruit punch.

"I'm good. But thanks anyway. Maybe some other time." There is sarcasm oozing off her words but Klaus persists.

"Or maybe you could stop by some time. I have a cellar full of the finest red and white wines imaginable. I'm sure you'd love them."

Caroline scoffs.

"Seriously? You're trying to buy me again?"

"Not at all." Klaus replies. "I just think that someone as fine and beautiful as you deserves to be showered with fine and beautiful things."

Damon rolls his eyes. The big bad hybrid sure likes to lay it on thick. How lame.

Caroline leans forward, no longer glaring as she looks Klaus right in the eye.

"You don't even know me." She says seriously, her voice almost a whisper.

Klaus' reply is enthusiastic.

"Well, let's change that! I want to know you and I want you to get to know me."

Caroline scoffs again as she leans back in her chair and takes another sip of punch.

"Oh, I know you well enough," she begins but stops when the waitress comes back looking confused.

"Um, hi. What can I get you?" She's clearly wondering what this hot British guy is doing sitting in Tyler's seat.

"He was just leaving." Caroline tells the waitress and the waitress looks uncomfortable for a moment before Klaus speaks up.

"A scotch on the rocks, please, love." He says as he offers the waitress a charming smile. She swoons for a minute but then looks a bit distraught when she catches the look Caroline throws Klaus' way when he orders but after a moment of fidgeting, she forces a smile and nods at Klaus before hurrying away to the bar. Caroline sits and glares at Klaus across the table until his drink has been set down in front of him. She waits until the waitress is out of ear shot before she speaks to Klaus through grit teeth.

"Go. Away."

Klaus picks up his drink and takes a big sip.

"You can't honestly say that you know me after those few hours you spent with me at the ball, Caroline." He says ignoring Caroline's desire for him to leave and continuing their conversation from the point where they had been interrupted.

Damon wishes the grill sold popcorn. It's not often he gets entertainment like this. Irritating Caroline is fun but he finds it's even more entertaining when he's watching someone else do it. Even if that someone else is Klaus.

Caroline suddenly slams her hands down on the table as she leans forward, her eyes burning with anger.

"I'll tell you what I know." She says as she glares at him.

"I know that Elena and Bonnie are my best friends. They have been for a very long time. I'm sure that eighteen years means less than nothing to you but for me, that has been the entirety of my life so far." She continues. Klaus is staring at her, his smile gone and his eyes have darkened.

"I know that Bonnie was a total wreck last week after you threatened to kill not just the boy that she loves but her mother along with him if she didn't do your bidding. And that was after you rubbed into her face that her mother abandoned her. After you gave her a tiny little glimmer of hope that she could see her again. That you would actually_ find_ Abby for her."

This is where Klaus chooses to interrupt her.

"I was completely sincere when I said I would help your friend find her mother." He says with a surprised expression and a tone that sounds like he is shocked and offended. As if Caroline had made some outrageous accusation that Klaus finds completely preposterous and unfair. He could be a wonderful actor, Damon thinks. Caroline however, is not amused.

"Yeah and you said you would deliver her in pieces if Bonnie didn't do what you wanted!"

"Well, sometimes people just need a little motivation." Klaus responds in a conversational tone.

"_Motivation?"_ Caroline repeats, as her eyes go wide and then she shakes her head.

"Why am I even talking to you about this? Or about anything for that matter?" she sighs as she brings a hand to her head.

"It was a necessary evil. In my defense, I was trying to save my life. As well as the rest of my family's."

Caroline lifts her head out of her hands and looks up at him.

"Because it's only your life that matters, right? To hell with everyone else and their families, the people that they love. The only important thing is that you and your family are safe, free to go around killing people and feeding on innocent, unsuspecting humans whenever you please." She says with a shake of her head. Damon feels a twinge of guilt and wonders if she's thinking of him when she says those words. Not long ago, that is exactly what he had been doing. Heck, it's what he occasionally still does. He had done it to Andy, he had done it to that Jessica girl…He had done it to Caroline.

"They're humans. They'll die soon enough anyway. Sometimes we speed up the process. Sometimes we just turn them into our playthings for a little while and then we erase their memories and send them on their merry ways." Klaus reasons. If it weren't for the guilt that has just washed over Damon, he would grin. Klaus has just stuck his foot in his mouth. That is the wrong thing to say to Caroline.

Her expression darkens and she takes a breath in through her nose, her lips pressed firmly together in a thin line. But Caroline has never been good at hiding her emotions. She has gotten a little better at it over the past few months but that doesn't mean she's good at it. It's not hard to tell that she's furious.

Caroline has been that girl that Damon had tried to bring to an early demise. She's been that girl that was a vampire's plaything. A sex toy, a food source, a tool to get Damon into the council's good graces, an outlet for his anger and frustrations, disposable, a _thing_ that Damon could use and throw away. Not a person.

Klaus doesn't know any of that, however. Damon wonders if she's going to tell him but then gives himself a mental shake. Caroline seems hell bent on making herself forget that she ever had any kind of a relationship with Damon other than the fact that he is Stefan's brother. She's not going to discuss an ex with Klaus and no matter how angry she is right now, she isn't going to say anything to Klaus that might give him ideas to try and compel her. Although Damon is sure that Caroline is thinking of him now even if she hadn't been before, even though she is looking Klaus straight in the eye, it is Damon that is on her mind.

"You are disgusting." She whispers out in a voice that is dripping with loathing and revulsion before she abruptly begins to stand but Klaus grabs her arm. There is genuine shock on his face. He hadn't expected that reaction from her.

"Let me explain." His voice is almost pleading.

"Let go." The disgust is still in her tone and all over her face. Klaus pulls down on her arm and she is forced to sit. Damon knows she isn't going to make a scene, especially not when the grill is this crowded.

She glares at him and when she tries to yank her arm away, he lets her.

"All I meant, is that as vampires, we're superior. We're smarter, stronger, better. We can do whatever we want. I can teach you."

This is not Klaus' day. He's saying all the wrong things while he's trying so hard to charm her.

"Just because we can, doesn't mean we should. And you are the last person I would ever want to learn anything from. All you've done since you got here is terrorize me and my friends or kill people or threaten them or compel them. In Stefan's case, you've done all of the above in one day!"

Klaus rolls his eyes.

"Oh please, don't tell me Stefan has convinced you with that garbage he's been spewing about how I ruined his life."

Caroline's eyes shine when she speaks.

"I was a total mess when I turned. I didn't know what was happening to me, I killed somebody, I was falling apart, going completely insane, and on top of that, Damon was trying to kill me because he was afraid I'd blow his cover and expose him to the council." More guilt comes crashing down on Damon.

Klaus stares at Caroline looking intrigued as she continues.

"Stefan saved me that night. He pulled me away from Damon just as he was about to shove a stake into my back." She pauses and Damon can tell that she's thinking of the old Stefan and how much he had helped her and that she's also thinking of all the bad things that Damon had done to her. He's tried to make up for it but the bad will always outweigh the good in Caroline's case.

Caroline lets out a little laugh.

"Stefan and Elena saved me that night." She says shaking her head as she looks down at the table.

"And afterwards, Stefan taught me how to control myself. When the world was spinning at the speed of light and crumbling down all around me, it was Stefan that kept me grounded. It was Stefan that taught me how to breathe again when my lungs wouldn't work, Stefan who believe in me when Bonnie wouldn't…when I couldn't believe in myself." Her voice sounds a little choked as she speaks but when she looks up from the table, her eyes are burning with anger.

"When you took him away, I spent a month trying to get Elena to _smile_. A month. And then it was her birthday and I just wanted her to be happy for one night, blow out the candles and make a wish. And she told me… that her wish was just to know if Stefan was alive. That he wasn't dead. That you hadn't killed him. That's all she wanted on her birthday." Her anger lessens a little and she sighs before she continues.

"I just kept thinking that he would come back eventually and things would go right back to normal. I kept trying to cheer her up. It was bad enough that you'd sacrificed her aunt, I didn't even wanna think about the fact that you might have killed her boyfriend too. Damon's brother, my friend…."

All the anger in Caroline's voice is replaced by sadness when she opens her mouth again.

"Stefan and Elena….They were in love. They were happy together. You…you just barged in here and tore them apart, turned Stefan into the monster that he tried so hard not to be." Now her tone is thoughtful and questioning as she raises her head to look Klaus in the eye.

"You ruined their relationship, destroyed their happiness. You seem to delight in making other people miserable…. What is it that you want from me, Klaus?"

Klaus is staring at Caroline with a serious expression on his face and Damon wonders if Caroline's speech has had any effect on him at all. He loves Elena with ever fiber of his being but Stefan is his brother and Damon hasn't been able to figure if Elena really does want him for him or if she only likes the qualities in Damon that remind her of Stefan. He doesn't know if Elena will ever love him as much as she loves Stefan. But if she can't…if she can't, then Damon wants Elena and Stefan to be together. They deserve to be happy even if he himself can't be. But that doesn't make him wish any less that Elena would chose him.

Damon is momentarily lost in his thoughts of Elena until Klaus speaks again, snapping Damon's attention back on Caroline and Klaus.

"I told you." Klaus says softly, his voice almost a whisper.

Caroline scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"What, that you fancy me? That you think I'm strong and beautiful and full of light?"

"Well it's true." Klaus interrupts and Damon has to agree. She is lovely. She's a bouncing ball of sunshine, sometimes bubbly and optimistic to an annoying level. A year ago, Damon would have laughed if someone called that shallow, insecure girl any synonym of the world strong. Now, he thinks that there are times when Caroline has been stronger than Damon himself is. There's nothing shallow about her even if she is still a terrible liar. Although she's gotten better at that too (She still kind of sucks though).

"You don't believe me?" Klaus questions and he actually sounds earnest.

Caroline's lips press together as she looks at him.

Klaus reaches his hand across the table towards her again but then stops it half way when Caroline leans back.

"Stefan was my friend once too, you know. Until he betrayed me."

"How could he not hate you after everything you did to him?" Caroline snaps back.

Klaus sighs and Caroline continues.

"I understand what it's like to have parents that disapprove of you. I know how awful it feels when those same parents try to kill you but… but that's not an excuse for you to take all the pain out on other people. "

Klaus shakes his head. "You couldn't possible know-"

"When my mother first found out I was a vampire, she considered me dead. She didn't want to be anywhere near me. She'd rather talk to Damon than me. When my father found out, he tried to condition me into not wanting to drink blood because he had decided that if I couldn't live without blood, he would have to kill me. So believe me, I know." She lets out a breath and blinks her tears away as Klaus stares at her in shock.

"I didn't take all my hurt out on other people when that happened, though. I understand that you've been hurt. That at one point or another, all of the people you care about have turned their backs on you."

Damon feels irritation bubble up in him. What the hell is she doing? She can't really be feeling sorry for this homicidal maniac that's been terrorizing them for months, can she?

"And what about you?" Klaus questions. "Are you going to turn your back on me too?"

"I've never been with you for me to turn my back on you, Klaus." Their voices have dropped so low that Damon is having trouble making out the words through the crowed grill.

"You could be."

"No. I couldn't."

"Why not?" Klaus questions. "Because of Stefan and Elena? With all the support you've given them, I think you've more than paid back your debt."

"They're my friends and I care about them! It's not about payback!" her voice rises to the point where Damon doesn't have to strain to hear her across the room.

"Besides…" she trails off.

Damon almost snorts. Stefan and Elena are just the tip of the iceberg. Even if Klaus had never done anything to them, there's one thing he has done to someone else. One other person he's hurt that ensures that Caroline will never forgive him, never want anything to do with him. Damon chides himself for wondering if Caroline might actually care about Klaus for even a moment. It all comes down to that drive in her that Damon doesn't understand. That unrelenting and unfaltering resolve in her to protect Tyler. She'll never forgive Klaus for killing him. For turning him into a slave. For ruining his life. For taking him away from her… For the first time, Damon is genuinely happy that Caroline cares so much about Tyler. Of course, this doesn't change the fact that Tyler is not just dangerous but lethal to her and he still thinks she should stay far away from him. But Klaus, the big, bad, thousand year old hybrid is about to get rejected in favor of an eighteen year old werewolf that he himself has sired. Damon can't help but grin.

"Besides what?" Klaus questions.

"I told you I'm spoken for." Caroline responds.

"Oh, come on! Tyler again? You can't honestly tell me you think he can make you happy." And Klaus actually sounds annoyed now.

"Oh, but you can make me happy?" Caroline questions.

"Naturally." Klaus responds.

Caroline's eyebrows shoot up.

"How? You gonna draw another picture? Give me more stolen jewelry? Take me on a world tour?"

"If you want." Klaus tells her. Is he serious?

Caroline sighs.

"Those things will make me smile and ooooohh and ahh for a while, I will admit." Klaus smiles.

"But that's not what I want in the long run." Caroline continues. "That's not what's going to make me happy."

Now Klaus just looks irritated. "And Tyler does make you happy?" he questions.

A wistful smile spreads across Caroline's face. She doesn't even have to think about it before she responds.

"Yes, he does."

Klaus looks like he's just been slapped in the face. It takes him a minute but he composes himself.

"Well, I will admit, he isn't boring and he's not bad looking either but really, what can he possible give to you that I can't? He can throw a pigskin and put a ball through a hoop and you think that that will make you happy for the rest of eternity?"

Caroline laughs but it's not sarcastic or forced. It's the way someone laughs when they are recalling a happy memory.

"His exceptional abilities in sports have nothing to do with it. I can't count all the times he's let me pull him into doings things he would never otherwise do or enjoy in the least. Little things, but he does them for me. Because he knows they'll make me smile even if he hates doing them." Now her happy tone changes as something seems to click in her mind.

"You on the other hand stuck daggers in the hearts of your own siblings when they what? Did something you didn't like? I shudder to think what you would do to me if I ever upset you. I'm much more easily subdued then they are."

"I wouldn't hurt you, Caroline." Klaus says as he keeps his eyes locked on her.

"No, you'd kill me." Caroline replies.

"Give me a chance. One chance to show you that I'm better for you than Tyler could ever be." Caroline's eyes flit nervously towards the entrance when Klaus says this. As if she's afraid that Tyler might overhear. Damon imagines how jealous the younger hybrid would get if he saw Klaus trying to sweet talk Caroline right now. He'd probably get himself killed.

There's no sign of Tyler though. Where is he anyway?

After confirming that Tyler still isn't in the building, Caroline leans forward with her arms crossed in front of her on the table.

"Leave. Me. Alone."

Klaus sighs as he leans back in his chair.

"I can wait, you know. You'll get bored with him eventually and realize he's not worth your time."

"You've made a lot of assumptions about me Klaus." Caroline says in that same low voice. It's almost monotone but there's still a hint of dislike there.

"It's not an assumption. I've been around a long time, Love. I know when things aren't going to work out." Damon can't help the irritation he feels at that comment. Klaus always seems to know exactly what to do to ensure that things don't work out for people when he doesn't want them to.

"Oh, I'm sure you do." Caroline responds, annoyance seeping back into her tone.

"Let me guess, you'll order Tyler to do something to make me mad at him,right? Tell him to bite me or kill Jeremy again?"

"Well I could just tell him to kill himself." Klaus interrupts, his tone conversational, as if he's trying to think of something to kill the time on a particularly boring day. Damon can't stop the snicker that escapes him now. Klaus has his eyes on the ice in his now half empty glass of scotch and not on Caroline's face for once. He doesn't know that he's just stuck his other foot in his mouth.

"I'd really rather not kill my own hybrid but if that's what it's going to take to show you how I'm the much better option, then I suppose it must be done. He'd have no choice but to rip his own heart out if I told him too. I could tell him to leave and never come back. He's left you twice already hasn't he? I had to put his mother in the hospital the first time just to lure him back here. And as for his latest excursion…well I didn't really bother to ask but I'm sure you can't mean much to him if he just gets up and abandons you whenever he's in the mood." Damon feels bad for Caroline because he is watching her reaction to Klaus' words as Klaus rambles on without looking at her but he can't help but grin because Klaus has just stuck a third foot in his mouth.

It's _really_ not a good idea to remind a girl that her boyfriend left her. Albeit, Klaus doesn't know that the last time Tyler left, it was after he had almost gotten Caroline and then Elena killed. He knows how guilty Tyler felt about those werewolves torturing Caroline and then nearly killing Elena the next night. Klaus also doesn't know that Tyler's latest excursion had been to go break the sire bond, doesn't know that his iron tight grasp on Tyler's mind has dwindled down to practically nothing. He's sitting there gloating like Tyler is a well trained animal that will jump on command. Oh, how wrong he is. Damon likes the idea of having someone on the inside. Tyler would be the perfect person and by now, he has plenty enough motivation to want to find a way to get Klaus out of their hair. He might even be willing to risk his life to do it. Damon refuses to think about what might happen to Caroline if Tyler actually would up dying after helping to kill Klaus.

He thinks about how upset she had been when she had realized that killing Klaus meant Tyler would die too. He compares that look to the the happy expression on her face when they had gathered in the woods with weapons to kill the Originals; how she was willing to do whatever it took to free Tyler from the sire bond. She had even let Damon go up behind her and hold her arms back as she played Rebekah, hadn't frozen in fear at his close proximity to her and even smiled as Stefan pretended to stake her. She had thrown a half smile Damon's way as she'd gently shoved him away from her that afternoon. Maybe Damon is making progress. Maybe Caroline is starting to forgive him. She seems to trust his plans wholeheartedly, she just doesn't like to be in close proximity to him is all. Maybe soon enough, she'll get over that too.

In any case, Damon knows that he has much better chances of getting on Caroline's good side than Klaus does.

"Maybe I should just wait until he leaves you again for you to come running into my arms and-" Klaus stops mid-sentence as he finally directs his gaze back to Caroline from his glass. He immediately knows he's said the wrong thing. Damon wonders if he knows just how wrong.

She's staring at him, almost all of the color drained from her face. He's terrified her. Her eyes are wide and her body is straight and still as a statue as she gapes at Klaus.

It takes Caroline a moment but she manages to get a hold of herself.

"I was wrong." She whispers out when she is finally able to speak again, her eyes still wide and fearful.

"What?" Klaus questions looking confused. Damon can see that he wants to reach out to her again but he can also see that Caroline looks like a frightened animal that is ready to bolt at any moment. Klaus knows that if he reaches out to her now she will most likely vamp speed out of the grill without bothering to care if anyone notices her or not.

"I was wrong." she repeats in a shaky voice although it's a few octaves above her previous whisper.

"What I said to you at the ball that day. About you not understanding people."

"Now, wait a minute-" Klaus reasons but it seems that Caroline is done listening to him.

"You understand everyone completely!" Caroline continues as anger seeps into her voice but it's also still shaking with fear. Fear for Tyler although she's trying her best not to let it show how much Klaus has upset her.

"You figure out what matters most to people, what makes them tick, and then, you exploit it and manipulate them into doing exactly what you want!" she shoves the book she had pulled out back into her bag as she stands up and pulls the strap over her shoulder. Then she puts her hands on the table and leans down, locking her eyes with the hybrid's.

"If you wanna kill Tyler, go right ahead." She sounds completely serious and Damon is sure he's feeling the same shock that is written all over Klaus' face at Caroline's vehement reaction.

"But let me make one thing very, very clear to you, Klaus. If you kill him, you'll have to kill me too. Because you've caused him more than enough pain to last a thousand lifetimes and if you hurt him again, I will not rest until I see you dead." The fear is gone from her voice. There's not even anger there. There's nothing but complete and utter loathing.

She lifts her hands off the table and straightens up, addressing him for the final time.

"I know I've got no chance against you, but that won't stop me from trying. Either way, I'll never be yours. You're too self-absorbed to ever connect with another person. The only time someone else's feelings and opinions matter to you is when you're trying to manipulate them. I've had it. Enjoy the rest of eternity all by yourself!" And with that, she walks away, not bothering to look back at Klaus who continues to gape at the door long after she is gone.

Damon takes a few minutes to digest what just happened. He's known for a while that Caroline is willing to risk her life for Tyler but to openly threaten Klaus the way she did…. Damon hadn't expected that.

He thinks that it's probably time for him to leave. Caroline's gone so there's no point in staying here. He could wait around for Tyler to show up but he doesn't think that that would be the best approach. Tyler avoids Damon almost as much as Caroline does. His reasons are a lot more obvious than Caroline's but he's never once mentioned Mason while Damon is around. Damon doesn't want to risk breaking the unspoken truce between the two of them and Tyler had promised that he wouldn't hurt Caroline or anyone attack Damon. That was months ago, long before Klaus had come blasting back into town and snapped Tyler's neck.

Caroline has told him how much Tyler hates Klaus after all the havoc he's caused and this makes Damon believe that Tyler might just turn into their greatest weapon against Klaus. Even if they can't kill him, Tyler could probably dig up a few weaknesses without raising suspicion if only he could control his jealousy issues. But Damon can't really blame Tyler for being annoyed and he knows he that he would much rather see Caroline with Tyler than with Klaus. Maybe Lockwood isn't so bad after all. But Damon still doesn't like him. And then a questions rings out in Damon's head.

What makes you think either Tyler or Caroline care if you like Tyler or not?

They don't.

Caroline had made it clear that Tyler mattered more to her when she chose to help him after Damon had pretty much ordered her not too. And as for Tyler, Caroline's opinion is practically divine law for him. He's totally whipped. Not that it would matter anyway. Tyler has no reason to care about the opinions of his uncle's killer.

Damon's getting up to leave when he see that Klaus is still looking towards the door. He feels a deep sense of satisfaction at the thought of Klaus being rejected and is about to slip out the back when Damon sees the smirk and the look of determination on the hybrid's face.

Suddenly, his blood is boiling. The asshole still thinks he has a chance with her. Maybe he's sitting there thinking of ways to one-up Tyler or just to kill him and make it look like someone else's doing. Damon thinks of how defeated he had felt when Stefan told him that killing an original would kill off said original's entire bloodline. He thinks of what a wreck Stefan is because of Klaus, of the pain in Elena's eyes as she had to bury Jenna and send Jeremy away. He remembers how just a few nights ago, Klaus had compelled him to try to tear his own arms off. And now, Damon is itching to pour buckets of salt into any and all of the emotional wounds Caroline might have left Klaus with.

Picking up his drink, he lazily sits down in Caroline's recently vacated seat.

"Damon. Back for more punishment?" Klaus greets.

Damon only smirks.

"I could ask you the same thing. You just can't take no for an answer, can you?"

Klaus is immediately glaring at him.

"How much of that conversation did you hear?"

"Oh, I was here to see the entire show. I never cared much for sappy daytime soap operas but you could win an award for that one."

"If you don't want to die a horribly painful death, I suggest you leave right now." Klaus tells him through gritted teeth in a low voice filled with controlled anger.

"Oh, come on, don't be such a grump, I know what rejection feels like, buddy." Damon tells him in a casual and upbeat voice as he raises his half empty glass of whiskey into the air.

"How about a toast to bachelorhood?" Damon grins when Klaus' only response is to glare at him sullenly.

"She'll come around."

More anger bubbles up in Damon at the certainty in Klaus' voice. He wants to make Klaus feel just as hopeless and defeated as Klaus has made him feel so many times.

"No. She won't. You made sure of that a long time ago." Damon deadpans.

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific, mate." Klaus says and it seems like he's getting ready to have a debate and is already convinced he's going to one-up Damon again. Damon resists the urge to smirk. He knows that Klaus isn't going to win this fight.

"And that's reason number one. The fact that you've done so many things that would make Caroline cringe that you have no idea what I'm talking about. Number two, you know nothing about her because if you paid a little more attention to her instead of trying to get her to fall in love with you, you would know exactly why you've got no chance with her. And for the third one I'll just be blunt and say it. She hates you."

"Well, like I said, she'll come around."

"Sure, she will. All you would have to do is compel her. Just like Stefan. Of course, that would only make her hate you more. She would be with you physically while in her own head and heart she'd be cursing you to the deepest recesses of hell. The same way Stefan does now. He was your friend, right?"

"I don't need to compel her to get her to like me."

"Oh yes you do. Because you've already done everything you possibly could to make her despise you. She'll never be able to get over it. Not even if she wanted to. Which she obviously doesn't."

"I saved her life. And besides, I've been able to win the council over without having to hide what I am from them."

Damon snorts.

"Yeah! Right after you signed her death sentence. Did you really think that would make the Sheriff trust you? She's known Tyler his whole life. She knows how much he cares about her daughter. She still approves of him and she doesn't trust you for a second. Do you think the mayor trusts you? She doesn't. She's just doing what she can to keep her son and this town safe. She'll jump for joy the day this town is finally rid of you and your annoying brat of a sister."

Just then, a name reaches Damon's ears.

"Hey, Tyler. "

Damon turns around to see Tyler talking to the waitress, telling her he'll have the usual and watches his eyes slowly going over the room looking for Caroline after she jots something down on her order pad and leaves.

"Hey wolf boy!" Damon calls out raising his hand up in the air. He can feel Klaus glaring at the back of his head as Tyler's eyes widen and his head snaps towards Damon's direction. He's glaring by the time he gets to their table.

"Are you out of your mind?" Tyler hisses as soon as he's close enough to them that no one will be able to overhear. His hair looks damp, like he's just taken a shower and Damon can make out a faint smell of cologne.

"He has a death wish." Klaus answers. Tyler ignores him.

"What? I'm just showing some school spirit. Go Timberwolves! I'm guessing practice ran a little late today?" Damon says pumping a first up in the air. He can't help but be amused at the irritation in Tyler's expression.

"You're obnoxious, you know that?" he asks Damon although he doesn't really sound angry.

Damon raises his glass again.

"It's one of my many skills." Tyler lets out a snort that actually turns into a small laugh.

"I'm sure it is. Where's Caroline?"

Damon pretends to be confused.

"How would I know? I'm not her keeper."

Tyler nods towards the still full glass of punch that is sitting on the table.

"I'm pretty sure neither of you shares Caroline's love of fruit punch. Especially given the drinks in your hands."

Deciding he might actually want to give Tyler a chance, Damon decides to drop the sarcasm.

"Lover boy here scared her off. I'd tell you to hold on to your girl if I didn't know for sure that you have nothing to worry about with him." He wants to make Klaus feel low, wants him to know that Caroline is choosing Tyler (who to Klaus, means nothing) instead of him.

Tyler directs his attention to Klaus for the first time, a deep frown on his face.

"Oh, don't look so down, I'm sure Caroline will be calling you any minute to let you know where she ran off to." Damon continues, watching Klaus try to mask his irratation. Is that jealousy in his eyes?

As if on cue, Tyler's cell phone beeps in his pocket. He pulls it out as the waitress comes up to the table.

"Here's your cherry coke and your burger and curly fries will be right out. Caroline hasn't ordered yet though."

Tyler looks up at her apologetically as he flips his phone closed and shoves it back in his pocket.

"I'm sorry Katy, could you cancel that order please? There's been a change of plans. I'll pay for the drinks though." He says taking out his wallet.

"Oh you know what, don't even worry about it. I'll just put it on your tab. I guess I missed Caroline leaving or I would have told you earlier."

"Thanks. We'll see you later." Tyler tells her and turns to leave when Damon piques in.

"Well, your welcome to eat with us. I love myself some good curly fries."

Tyler doesn't seem to want to stay and chat though.

"You have a nice day, Damon." He says before walking away. And Damon sees Mason's face flash before his eyes for a moment.

"Tell your girlfriend I said hey!" Damon calls after Tyler as he walks out the door, determined not to let the resemblance bother him.

"You really are obnoxious." Klaus says as he stares at Damon while the waitress stands there patiently waiting for him to tell her if he actually wants those fries.

"I'm good for now, thanks." He tells her before he turns his attention back to Klaus as she nods and walks away.

"Believe me, I feel the same way about you. I'm sure Caroline does too."

"That'll change." But Damon's anger is back now that Tyler's gone. And he wants to be sure that Klaus doesn't follow Tyler to wherever he's gone to meet with Caroline.

"No, it won't and the reason for that just walked out the door, you stuck up pain in the neck!"

Klaus looks exasperated.

"Tyler again? He can't compete with me."

Damon almost snorts. But he knows this is his chance to make Klaus feel inferior.

"I used to think that too. I didn't think he could really compete with anyone as far as Caroline was concerned."

This seems to get Klaus' attention.

"But then suddenly she was doing all of the things I told her not to do. Just for him. Without him even asking her too. She'd never gone and outright lied to me the way she did about Tyler. Told me she would stay away from him and then went and became his best friend. I thought she was just being her annoying fix-it self. That she would eventually get over it and over him especially since he hurt her pretty badly." Damon pauses as he recalls what a mess she had been after he and Stefan had rescued her from those werewolves.

"She forgave him though. She cared about him so much that when I saved them from the tomb you had them chained up in and he started to turn, she wouldn't leave him. Not even when he was screaming at her to go. Even though she knew he could kill her. She was more concerned about his safety than her own."

Klaus stares at him as Damn lets out a laugh.

"You killed him. Took away his free will. _Ruined_ his life. Forced him to try to kill Caroline. You_ took_ him from her. She'll _never_ forgive you for that."

"That's what this is about?" Klaus questions.

"Yes, that's what this is about!" Damon sneers out.

"She wants nothing to do with you. She was smiling and laughing when we were planning how to kill you and Rebekah with the white oak stakes. You know what she said when I asked her if she was in with our plan? She said she was ready to do anything to free her precious Tyler from his sire bond with you. She doesn't care about you, Klaus. She hates you. For killing Tyler, for killing Elena's aunt, for turning Stefan back into the ripper that he used to be. She despises you. The only reason she went to that ball you invited her to was because she was afraid your psychotic sister would try to hurt Matt. She only stopped to give you the time of day here a few weeks ago because I told her to distract you while we tried to save her best friend's life. Oh! You killed that best friend too. But she came back to life. You tried to kill Bonnie but that didn't work. Is any of this getting through to you? Do you understand? She can't stand you. _She wants nothing more than to see you dead_."

Damon stops as Klaus glares at him because he's seen the surprise flit through the hybrid's eyes. He tries to hide it but Damon can tell that he's struck a nerve. Good. He deserves to be as miserable as he's made the rest of them for at least a little while.

"All the time she spent with you was for the benefit of someone else. Mostly her boyfriend. You know, the one you_ made_. The one that's supposed to bow down at your feet? He means everything to her. He's the one she always runs back to although for the life of me, I can't figure out why. I don't know why she cares about him so god damned much but I know that she does! In her eyes, he is and will always be better than you and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it." Damon says as he stands up, resisting the urge to grin at the way Klaus is looking at him. He can't help feeling slightly vindicated about the torture that the two siblings had put him through a few nights back.

"We might not be able to rid ourselves of you but that doesn't mean we'll ever accept you. Stefan's probably the only one that hates you more than Caroline does at this point. Whatever relationships you want from either Caroline or my brother, Klaus, you're never going to get them. But feel free to keep on trying to win her over. I'll enjoy watching you fail. Every. Single. Time."

And then, Damon also walks away, leaving Klaus alone to glare into a half empty tumbler of scotch.

* * *

I feel really bad for Klaus after writing this =( I love him but I'm also kind of sick of feeling sorry for him. I can't just keep on blaming his horrible treatment of everyone else and his love to cause pain on the fact that his parents seriously screwed him up. And I'm sick of him coming between Tyler and Caroline. I'm not sure I like this fic very much. I had plans to continue it and show Tyler and Caroline actually meeting up after they leave the grill. If anyone wants me to continue I will but idk.


	2. Caress

_Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky  
They wipe away tears that I cry  
The good and the bad times, we've been through them all  
You make me rise when I fall_

'_Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling  
And every time we kiss, I swear I could fly  
Can't you feel my heart beat fast? I want this to last  
Need you by my side  
'Cause every time we touch, I feel the static  
And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky  
Can't you hear my heart beat slow? I can't let you go  
Want you in my life  
-Cascada_

Caroline gasped in a breath as she burst out of the grill quickly looking behind her to make sure Klaus wasn't following. When she saw no sign of him, she broke into a run. She didn't pay too much attention to where she was going. It didn't matter. She needed to get away from here and away from him as fast as possible.

She winds up at the cellar.

She had driven to the grill but she hadn't bothered to get into her car when she left because she had been too much of a hurry to get away from him. Panting and still frightened, she slowly spins around in a circle, looking and listening for any sign that someone is watching her. She feels her nerves calm down just a little bit when she finds no trace of anyone around her. With trembling hands, she pulls her cell phone out of her purse and sends Tyler a text message asking him to meet her at the cellar instead of the grill and then with a sigh she goes down the stairs and into the underground room.

She's shaking.

Tyler's tortured screams have often been the substance that make up her nightmares but now, even in her waking hours, they ring in her head. Klaus' casual contemplation about killing Tyler had put horrifying scenarios her head. Right now she's picturing him lying spread eagled on the ground, with dead eyes staring unseeingly above with his heart ripped out and lying next to him on the ground while blood gushes out of the hole in his chest.

She had managed to keep herself together at the grill in front of Klaus and all those other people. Here in the solitude of the cellar, where she and Tyler had often talked about and in Tyler's case, faced their greatest fears, she lets the fear sink in for just a moment.

That is a mistake.

Despite her best efforts, Caroline is unable to calm herself down after focusing on Klaus' words. She's had so many nightmares. She's seen Tyler die a thousand times. She had been so, so terrified that first night when he'd turned. She was worried that the transformation would kill him. Terrified, that when she was finally able to come back in the morning after the full moon was gone, that she would find Tyler lying dead on the ground. Her relief when she had found him alive was unimaginable. She knows now for sure that her new nightmares will consist of Klaus killing Tyler (again) in cruel and horrifying ways.

She's too scared to be angry now and despite her best efforts to hold herself together, she falls to her knees on the stone floor and sobs.

She isn't sure how long she sits there on the ground trying to stop her tears but she thinks that the time seems a lot longer than it actually is. She's managed to reduce her sobbing to slight sniffling when she hears foots steps followed by a creek of an iron gate.

She freezes, thinking that it's Klaus and cursing herself for leading him to this place. The cellar, of all places. Klaus isn't allowed to be here. Honestly, no one but she and Tyler are allowed to be here. She's debating trying to run past the visitor and into the woods when he walks into the room.

Caroline throws herself into Tyler's arms. Relief floods through her as she realizes that Klaus really hasn't followed her because if he had, he would have shown himself by now. She's just frightened. Seeing Tyler standing before her, alive and well is enough to stop her tears and she even feels a smile coming on. Tyler, however, is not so excited to see her.

She had buried her face in his chest. With a deep frown, he grips her arms gently but firmly and pulls her away from him enough so that he can lock his concerned eyes with hers.

"Caroline, what on earth?" he trails off as his right hand comes up to cup her cheek.

Caroline is confused for a moment before she realizes that there are unexplained tears streaked down her face.

"I'm okay." She begins although her voice comes out raspy and still slightly shaky and does nothing to help her case.

"I'm alright, I just got really upset. I'm so happy to see you." She continues, not wanting to tell him why she's so upset.

Tyler had flipped his lid when he had come back and Caroline had told him that Klaus had been flirting with her. It had taken her, Stefan and Damon to keep him from hunting Klaus down and getting himself killed. Damon had actually vervained him.

Tyler hadn't been happy when he'd woken up but his anger had dissipated enough for the three vampires to convince him that it was in all of their best interests if Klaus not know that Tyler had broken the sire bond.

Tyler had agreed and afterwards, the two of them had found themselves back here where Tyler had told her that he was very close to severing the bond. He wanted to be sure that the bond was really broken. But the only way to do that was to go where Klaus was.

As far as Caroline is concerned, Tyler has broken the sire bond. He no longer talks about Klaus like he had done some benevolent favor that Tyler would be eternally grateful for, he no longer defended Klaus's actions, no longer talked about Klaus being two steps ahead of them whenever Damon and Stefan tried to think of ways to get him to leave town. Tyler talked about killing Klaus. He had gone to the Salvatore boarding House and asked about how they planned on getting rid of him and how could he help and had proceeded to get pissed off when they told him that killing Klaus would kill all of them too. Damon and Stefan might have been willing to sacrifice Tyler for the sake of killing Klaus. But they had then learned that it was Klaus that created their bloodline as well. They were all bound to him whether they liked it or not.

Needless to say, Tyler had not been happy with all the new information and had been surprised when Caroline had told him that she was actually relieved. When he had asked her why, she had struggled to find the right words to explain herself. It didn't matter how much she hated Klaus because being rid of him wasn't worth losing Tyler. Nothing was worth losing Tyler again. When she began to elaborate the words spilled out of her mouth without too much thought but as soon as she had said them, she knew they were true. Deep down she had known for a long time but she had been too scared of losing him to admit it. "I love you, Tyler." She had told him. Her heart still flutters when she thinks of the smile that had broken out across his face upon hearing those words. How all talk of Klaus had ceased after that and they had focused only on each other.

"Caroline, what did he say to you?" Tyler voice breaks into her reverie and she blinks as she looks into Tyler's worried gaze. He's still cupping her cheek but his grip on her arm has tightened. He's angry.

"You went to the grill." Caroline realizes and she feels dreadful fear grip her heart when Tyler nods.

All of the devotion and admiration that Tyler had had for Klaus due to the sire bond has now turned to bitter hatred and it causes Tyler to become furious at the mention of the hybrid's name. Caroline was terrified that one day, Tyler might lose his temper and attack Klaus and end up getting himself killed. After today, that fear has been magnified tenfold.

"Why?" she whispers out, hoping that he's isn't too angry and that he hadn't said or done anything to make Klaus suspicious.

"Practice ran late and I was in a rush. I 'd just gotten into the Grill and I was looking for you when I got your text. I ran into Damon there." Caroline never thought she would be so happy to hear Damon's name. As long as Tyler wasn't near Klaus, everything is okay. Damon seems to have decided that Tyler can be useful to them and Caroline is more than willing to let Damon think he can use Tyler if it ensures that he won't threaten to kill him. Although now that Tyler is a hybrid, he can much better defend himself even if Damon does go after him. This thought comforts Caroline quite often.

"Oh, he says hi, by the way." Tyler remembers and smiles when Caroline rolls her eyes in annoyance.

She's only just started to trust Damon but that doesn't mean that she likes him. Caroline has tried to put her past with him behind her but it's impossible for her to forget all of the things he had said…had done to her. She can see that he's trying to be better but that doesn't make up for how badly he's treated her. Sometimes he does things for her or looks at her in a way that make her think that he's actually sorry. He had saved her from the werewolves and when Klaus had tried to sacrifice her. He had defended her when her mother didn't want to see her and had gotten extremely hostile with her father after he had tortured her. Maybe that was more about Damon himself feeling threatened though. She wants to forgive him and she's actually tried to do so but she just…can't.

Sometimes he still scares her. Not intentionally. He might not even be looking at her. Usually, he doesn't even realize. Sometimes it's just a suggestion that he makes about killing Klaus or just a wise crack or a joke that sparks a bad memory. She doesn't know if she'll ever be able to get over it. Maybe someday but she has no idea when someday will come. Still, she knows that he is the one that saved her life after that car crash. She remembers how he had compelled all of the bad memories away that night. Damon's saved her as many times as he's tried to kill her. She knows he's not out to hurt her anymore (Not that he can do much to hurt her anymore) and she has come to trust him, at least when it comes to plotting against Klaus.

She's also stopped worrying every time he and Tyler are in the same room. She's only just relaxed when Tyler speaks again.

"Klaus was there too." Tyler continues and Caroline's stomach is in knots again.

"They were drinking together."

"_Damon_ and Klaus? _Drinking together?_" Caroline questions, not sure if she's heard him right.

"I think the conversation was mostly just Damon taunting him about something. And that something may or may not have been you."

Caroline sighs.

"I guess Damon must have been there listening to me and Klaus while I was there. I didn't see him though."

Tyler's arm wraps around Caroline's waist to pull her closer and his thumb gently brushes across her cheek as he speaks again.

"What did he say to make you so upset, Caroline?" He doesn't sound angry, he sounds a little bit defeated but mostly just concerned.

Caroline averts her gaze from his and instead chooses to look at her had on his chest. She grips the fabric of his t shirt in her fist, afraid to tell him about her conversation. She doesn't think for a second that Tyler will hurt her. He starts apologizing if he ever even raises his voice at her but Klaus is a different story. Tyler was already furious with him before he had found out about him suddenly fancying Caroline. The added jealousy was not helpful at all. Caroline constantly worried that Tyler would get mad and then get himself killed. For this reason, she did her best to avoid the subject of Klaus altogether but with how many problems Klaus had caused for all of them, he was kind of a difficult subject to avoid.

Tyler places his finger under her chin and gently lifts her head so that she has to look into his eyes.

"Look, I promise I won't get mad and try to go and beat him to a pulp again. I just wanna know that you're alright. Tell me what happened." Caroline feels her eyes sting at the caring tone of his voice. All he wants is for her to voice her fear so that he can help her get over it. All he wants is to make her feel better.

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before she gently pulls away from him and turns away, wishing that she didn't have to worry about him being killed all the time. Her eyes land on the blanket that is spread out on the floor. Tyler still insists on turning even though Caroline thinks he no longer needs to. He says that he still feels that he needs to do it a few more times.

It scares her how he seems to have gotten used to it. He still screams in agony when he turns but now, he can turn within minutes so while the pain is just as intense and excruciating as ever, it only last for a short amount of time instead of the hours he would spend as his bones slowly broke one by one. She wishes he wouldn't stop, but he tells her that it's necessary. She keeps telling him that he's done enough. That he's broken the bond. But he only tells her "Not yet." He tells her that he wants to be sure and that he still feels a slight connection to Klaus. That he won't stop until it's gone. He also tells her that she doesn't have to stay and watch. He won't hold it against her if she stays away while he's turning and he certainly doesn't want to put her in danger.

But Caroline can't stay away. She can't bear the thought of him being in so much pain even if it is only for a few minutes and then waking up alone. She feels so bad that he had been doing it by himself for so long. She wants to be here for him now. So as much as she hates it, she helps him chain himself up and then locks herself behind the bars as his bones begin to snap; she stares into the eyes of the snarling wolf as it bears its teeth at her and tries to break the chains binding it so that he can lunged at the gate that protects Caroline. And then she sees a hint of recognition in the wolf's golden eyes, its fur as black as night and its teeth gleaming white. It stops trying to fight the bindings and simply stands and stares at Caroline as if he actually knows her and doesn't want to harm her. Then the wolf lays down and begins to whimper and Caroline always watches in awe as she hears the bones crack back into place as he begins to shift and in a few minutes, it's Tyler lying there on the floor in front of her, unconscious. In the moments following those, Caroline wastes no time in unlocking the cell door and pulling Tyler into her lap and then she holds him tightly until he wakes up.

"Caroline, did he threaten you?" Tyler questions and he actually sounds scared.

She almost laughs. She afraid for his life and he's afraid for hers. This is not what teenagers do.

Then again, there's nothing else normal about either of them so why should they being doing things that normal kids do? Hell, right now they're standing in a room that was part of a house that burned down where slaves actually used to live. It's funny how this room has become a kind of safe haven for the two of them. At first, it had been nothing but a house of horrors, a reminder of Tyler's pain, he place where Caroline's mother had found out she was a vampire and rejected her. Now, it's also become the place where Caroline had first told Tyler that she loved him. It's the place where Tyler had revealed his werewolf curse to his mother for the sake of finding Caroline, it's the place where Caroline had first seem Tyler cry, it's the place where the two of them had talked about their fears and their hopes and dreams and everything in between. Sunlight now filters into the cellar through the holes in the ground above, illuminating the room with a late afternoon glow. It's really not so scary anymore.

"Please, talk to me." Tyler begs her as he takes a few steps towards her even though her back is still turned to him.

"No." Caroline begins as she wraps her arms around herself and tries to stay calm.

"No he didn't threaten me, Tyler." She can picture his confused expression even though she isn't facing him.

"He threatened you." She tells him as her voice cracks when she finally turns around to look at him.

He blinks and stares at her for a moment and then he closes the distance between then with a few brisk steps and pulls her into his embrace.

She grips his shirt in her hands again and presses her face against his chest as one of his hands finds its way into her hair. She lets herself be comforted by the feeling of his heart softly thumping in his chest at a steady pace. He's a vampire now but he's still warm. Being in his arms reminds Caroline that he is still alive and that right now, there's no one here to threaten him. It is this thought that helps Caroline blink her tears away.

Tyler is stroking her hair.

"Is that all?" he asks her softly and she lifts her head off his chest to stare up at him questioningly as he smiles at her with that smile that he seems to have reserved just for her. He never smiles at anyone else the way he's smiling at her now. Like she's the most precious thing in the world. He never talks to anyone else with so much warmth in his voice. She feels her heart begin to flutter again even though she's confused.

"He told me he would kill you. He said it like it was just something he would do to pass the time on a rainy day or slow afternoon. What do you mean is that all?"

Tyler tilts his head down and kisses Caroline's forehead before he softly presses his lips against her own. She barely kisses him back before he pulls away from her, still smiling that gentle smile.

"I mean that the sire bond kind of works both ways." He tells her.

Caroline feels her brows knit together in confusion.

"What?"

"I'm not saying that I can tell him to do whatever I want and he'll just do it," Tyler elaborates.

"But we are sort of linked. I think it's more of a werewolf thing. I told you how Jules used to talk about werewolves sticking together all the time. I guess the vampire stuff just amplifies that, you know? He might not have any problems killing other random people, and he might enjoying making me do things I don't wanna do, but he isn't going to physically harm me on a whim."

Caroline feels a little bit relieved but her heart begins to beat faster as she takes Tyler's words in to consideration.

"But if you broke the sire-bond, won't that make Klaus able to hurt you on impulse like he would to someone that wasn't a hybrid?" she questions, not wanting to take any chances.

"Well, I'm the one that's been trying to break my bond with him. He hasn't made any attempt to sever the connection he has to me. I've seen him get upset when Stefan was killing hybrids. I didn't really care that they were dying but Klaus did. Maybe Stefan just pissed him off but I really don't think he's going to kill me just to get to you. I'm sure he loved watching you squirm when he threatened me but it was probably just in hopes of you asking him to spare me or something. I'm sure he'd have no problem doing that. He didn't manipulate you into making any promises, did he?"

Caroline feels herself begin to calm down.

"No. I think he might have just been trying to get some kind of reaction out of me. I don't think the reaction he got was exactly what he was expecting though." She tells him as her fear dissipates.

Tyler's eyebrows go up in question.

"I told him that if he killed you, he'd have to kill me too." Caroline admits and immediately, Tyler's smile is gone.

"You _what?" _he asks her and it's impossible to miss the worry in his voice.

"I told him that if he hurt you again, I wouldn't stop until he was dead. I just got so scared when he said it and I didn't wanna show him that so I sort of forced myself to get mad instead. "Tyler's eyes go wide, now he looks scared.

"After that, the words sort of just came out. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have said it but when I think of all the pain he's caused you, I can't help but want him gone. It was bad enough that he took you away from me again but the thought of him actually killing you… Tyler, I can't stand it!" she tells him in hopes that he won't be mad at her for pretty much doing exactly what she has been telling him not to do.

"Caroline, you and I both know how quickly and radically he lashes out." He sounds more worried than angry but there's also understanding in his voice.

"I know." She tells him as she wraps her arms around his torso and squeezes. She feels his arms tighten around her waist in response and he waits for her to look up at him again before he continues.

"I get that you got mad, I would've too if I had been in your place but please, promise me you won't say things that will give him any ideas again." He's completely serious but his words make Caroline laugh.

"Don't worry, I try to avoid conversation with him whenever possible."

Tyler smirks at her.

"Now if only he could take a hint."

Caroline giggles.

"You're the only one for me." She tells him as she presses her forehead against his.

He kisses her softly.

"Promise me, Caroline. You'll be more careful around him." His voice is pleading.

"I promise I'll hold my tongue." Caroline tells him, feeling much more light hearted.

"Hmm, I guess I did sort of promise I'd kill him didn't I?" she muses.

"Caroline!"

She can't help but giggle at the alarm in his voice but she knows she shouldn't tease him this way.

"I'm kidding." She tells him in an effort to calm him down.

"Yeah, you are, but what if he decides to take you seriously? His temper's worse than mine is and h doesn't even seem to try to keep it in check."

"I know." Caroline tells him softly.

"Don't worry, I won't say something like that to him again. I just… I don't wanna lose you again."

Tyler presses another soft kiss on her lips.

"You will never lose me. No matter what happens to me or where I go, I am always, always going to love you, Caroline. Even when Klaus had control of my mind, my heart was still yours. It's always going to be yours."

"I don't want anything to happen to you. I don't want you to go anywhere. I want us to be together, Tyler." She tells him, touched by his words but wanting him to know how much she misses him when he's gone.

"I want that too. I love you, Caroline." Another kiss.

"I love you, too." She whispers, her eyes half-lidded and she waits for him to kiss her again. And he does.

"I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

"Okay." Caroline lets out a contented sigh as she buries her face in his chest again.

"You smell nice." She says as she breathes in the smell of his cologne.

He chuckles lightly.

"I showered in the locker room, just for you." He tells her. The showers in the school locker rooms are kind of sucky. She knows Tyler would much rather prefer to use the shower in his house that comes with a massaging option.

"But I remember that you thought sweat was sexy." She teases as she makes face at him.

"I do." He responds, mimicking her playful tone.

"But apparently, my girlfriend doesn't think so."

Caroline throws her head back as she laughs and Tyler takes the opportunity to shower her neck with kisses.

"Thank you." She tells him once she stops laughing and manages to get him to stop kissing her.

"I feel much better now."

"Good." Tyler tells her.

"Try not to worry so much okay, I hate seeing you cry." He tells her as he runs his hands up and down her arms.

She smiles at him.

"It's better now that your actually here. And remember, you promised not to leave again." She pouts at him.

"Not even if it's to keep you safe?" Tyler questions. But there's a playful edge to his voice. He doesn't plan on leaving her again.

"No. I'd rather take my chances." She tells him.

"Why would I wanna be anywhere else…when I could be here with you?" It's a rhetorical question and he doesn't wait for her to respond before he kisses her, long and deep before slipping his hand under her shirt.

She moves her arms up to wrap them around his neck and pushes herself closer to him as she moans into his mouth. Without breaking the kiss, Tyler leads her over to the blanket where Caroline lets him lay her down and then she proceeds to lose herself in him, letting his passionate kisses and firey touches erase all the fears and doubts from her mind.

-Fin-

* * *

Should I change the rating of this to M? Haha. I got the idea for this from the romo for 3x19 but you all probably guesses that already. I would like to say thank you again to everyone who gave me such nice comments on "Vindication." I really didn't think I would get suck a good response for that and I'm so grateful. Thank you so much =) I hope you guys enjoyed reading this. Leave me a review and tell me what you liked or didn't like about this?


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